Chapter 106: Clues - Hogwarts : Harry x hermione Story

In the library, Harry's fingers traced the edges of an old newspaper article about the Black family. He was about to share his thoughts with Hermione when a familiar booming voice cut through the quiet from behind a bookshelf.

"Oi, Harry! Hermione! There you are!"

Hagrid's massive frame squeezed through the gap between the shelves, clutching a worn book with Magical Creature Husbandry faintly visible on its spine.

Grinning, Hagrid approached, but his smile froze when his eyes landed on the newspaper spread across their table. His bushy eyebrows knitted together.

"What's this… an old paper? Why're you two looking at that?" His voice was loud, clearly forgetting they were in a library.

Harry's gut stirred—Hagrid's reaction suggested he knew something about the past.

Leaning forward to ask, Harry felt Hermione gently tug his wrist. He glanced at her, catching her subtle glance toward a nearby desk.

Madam Pince's sharp gaze was locked on them like a spotlight.

"Hagrid," Hermione said, standing with a breezy tone as if making small talk, "we were just hoping to ask you about something in the Forbidden Forest. It's a bit noisy here—wanna step outside?"

Harry caught on immediately, nodding eagerly. "Yeah, yeah, let's talk outside!"

Hagrid scratched his head, reluctant, but let himself be dragged along.

The trio slipped out of the library in a hurry.

It wasn't until they neared the Forbidden Forest that Hagrid spoke, hesitating. "So… why're you two digging into Black all of a sudden?"

Hermione glanced at Harry, who nodded, signaling it was okay to share. She briefly recounted Dumbledore's words and the odd details in the newspaper, then asked, "Hagrid, did you… know something back then?"

Hagrid dodged the question. "Haha, back in the day, Lily was the prettiest girl in school—"

"Hagrid, you know what I want to hear," Harry cut in, his brows furrowing as he fixed Hagrid with a sharp look, one that echoed Lily's piercing gaze.

Hagrid faltered, then sighed, his voice gruff. "Alright… it's a long story…

"Back then, Black and your dad… they were thick as thieves, closer than anyone."

"We already know they were best mates!" Hermione couldn't hold back, stepping closer, her eyes brimming with urgency. "It's obvious from the papers and photos."

Hagrid shook his head, his massive head casting a shadow in the sunlight. "No, you don't get it. They were that close. Back at Hogwarts, if one of 'em had been a girl, everyone would've bet they'd end up together. James always said Black knew his mind better than he did himself."

Harry's frown deepened. "If they were that tight, why's there a rumor that… he's the one who got Lily and James killed?"

Hagrid sucked in a breath, as if the question burned him, his voice shaky. "That's… well, back then, You-Know-Who—"

He shivered, glancing around nervously before lowering his voice. "Don't look at me like that—I can't say his name… He was hunting your parents like mad, though I don't know why exactly. Maybe Dumbledore knows more. Anyway, James and Lily knew they were targets, so they used the Fidelius Charm for protection. Black was their Secret-Keeper. But not long after, You-Know-Who showed up at their door."

"You're sure Black was the Secret-Keeper?" Harry pressed, his gaze piercing. "Did anyone actually see them make the vow?"

Hagrid scratched his tangled hair, confusion in his tone. "Well… I don't think anyone saw it. That kind of thing's safer the fewer people know, right? If someone else was there, the Secret-Keeper would be pointless."

"Then how can you be so sure it was him?" Hermione jumped on the gap, her words rushing out. "You can't just go by guesses, right?"

Hagrid blinked, stumped. "Everyone said so. I wasn't there when they decided, but that's what everyone said—Black was the Secret-Keeper."

Harry stared at Hagrid's baffled face, certain he wasn't lying. But "everyone said so" sounded like a carefully spun cover story to him.

Hermione clearly thought the same. Seeing Harry's silent intensity, she took over. "Who else was involved in choosing Black as Secret-Keeper? It couldn't have just been James and Lily deciding on their own, right?"

Hagrid's face twisted with discomfort. "That's… Phoenix Order business, too much for you two—"

He cut himself off, smacking his forehead in frustration, realizing he'd let something slip.

"Phoenix Order?" Hermione's eyes lit up, like a hunter catching a scent. "So a lot of people knew about this? At least the Order members did?"

Harry, who'd been quiet, finally spoke, his voice cool and clear. "Hagrid, you said 'everyone knew' Black was the Secret-Keeper. That's odd in itself."

He paused, recalling a quote Sherlock Holmes often used. "Holmes said, when a secret's known by too many people, it's no longer a secret. Dumbledore's so careful—why would he let something as critical as 'who's the Secret-Keeper' become half-public knowledge?"

Hagrid's mouth opened, his face a mix of confusion and reluctant agreement, but Hermione was already on fire. She grabbed Harry's wrist, her eyes blazing. "Come on!"

Before Hagrid could react, she was pulling Harry toward the castle.

"Where are we going?" Harry asked, stumbling along as he glanced back at Hagrid, still frozen in place.

"To find Professor Lupin!" Hermione called, her voice carried by the wind. "The Phoenix Order, the Secret-Keeper… he's got to know something!"

At a corridor corner near the castle, Harry suddenly stopped.

Hermione nearly tripped, steadying herself and looking at him with cautious concern. "What's wrong? Are you… scared of finding out something bad? Even if it's more complicated than we thought, knowing the truth is better than being in the dark, right?"

Her voice was soft, like she was coaxing a frightened animal, assuming Harry was backing out.

But Harry shook his head, his expression calm. "I'm not scared," he said, his voice steady, not choked as she'd expected. "I just don't want to keep digging."

Hermione froze, her eyes wide. "Why? We're so close to answers—"

"Because it's pointless," Harry cut in, avoiding her gaze. "I've never had a good opinion of James."

He paused, choosing his words carefully. "Black was James's best friend, but it sounds like he didn't have much to do with Lily. If his 'betrayal' was mostly tied to James, why should I care?"

"But James was your dad!" Hermione's voice rose before she caught herself, lowering it. "He and Lily were your parents. Their story—"

"When I was training with Dumbledore, he told me some things about James's younger days," Harry said, his gaze fixed on a nearby suit of armor, his tone flat, like he was talking about a stranger. "And now this Secret-Keeper thing—if Hagrid's right and 'everyone knew' Black was chosen, that's just reckless. It was wartime, Lily was pregnant with me, and he let the key to protecting his family become common knowledge? Honestly, I don't see him as much of a dependable father."

His words hit like ice in warm water. Hermione stiffened, her mouth opening to argue, but her throat seemed to close up.

She knew about Harry's pain from growing up with the Dursleys, how the word "parents" never held warmth for him. But she hadn't realized he felt this kind of stark detachment from James.

The corridor was so quiet you could hear the distant clank of moving armor.

Hermione saw no anger in Harry's eyes, just a faint, almost indifferent exhaustion.

She wanted to argue that a father's love wasn't measured by caution, to remind him James gave his life for him and Lily. But the empty look in Harry's eyes stopped her words cold.

Finally, she sighed softly, lowering her gaze. "Alright… if you don't want to keep looking, we won't."

But the spark of curiosity about the truth still burned inside her.

Days later, the bell for Defense Against the Dark Arts rang, and students streamed out of the classroom.

Hermione packed her bag briskly, saying to Harry, "I've got to run to Arithmancy. The professor's covering the math of prophecy today—I can't be late."

She ducked aside, gave her Time-Turner a few quick twists, and was gone when Harry looked up.

Harry slung his bag over his shoulder, walking slowly as shadows from the corridor's columns slid across his feet. He knew her "Arithmancy" excuse was a cover.

Lately, Hermione's glances carried a restless, unspoken urgency—she was clearly hiding her drive to chase the truth.

After about twenty steps, Harry stopped and turned into a storage passage filled with brooms.

At the passage's end was a small window facing the back of the Defense classroom.

As he settled in, he saw Hermione at the classroom door, talking quietly with Professor Lupin.

Lupin tilted his head, his gaze briefly landing on Harry's hiding spot, a knowing glint in his usually warm eyes.

But he said nothing, turning back to Hermione as she spoke. "…Phoenix Order records… Secret-Keeper switch…"

Hermione was on her toes, gesturing with folded parchment, explaining eagerly.

Harry recognized the notes they'd copied in the library.

Her words tumbled out, her cheeks flushed with excitement, oblivious to Lupin's occasional, meaningful glances toward the window.

Lupin nodded now and then, his fingers tapping the edge of a book as if choosing his words carefully. His voice was too low for Harry to catch much, just fragments.

"…James trusted him completely…"

"…Peter, he…"

Harry leaned against the cold stone wall, a mix of emotions swirling inside. He wasn't keen on digging into James's past, but seeing Hermione chase a mystery he'd set aside, and Lupin's calm pretense despite noticing him, stirred a complex feeling—like an invisible web was pulling them all back into a buried secret.

About ten minutes later, Hermione tucked away her parchment, gave Lupin a respectful nod, and hurried out of the classroom.

Harry watched her disappear around the corridor's corner before stepping out of the passage.

The classroom door was ajar, and Lupin stood by the window, looking at Harry with a calm smile, as if nothing had happened. "Harry, forget something?"

Harry shook his head, catching the knowing look in Lupin's eyes. Maybe Hermione's persistence wasn't entirely pointless.

Time drifted by like the clouds over Hogwarts.

Harry and Hermione tacitly avoided mentioning the old newspapers, though Hermione's occasional glances toward Lupin's office still held a flicker of curiosity.

At lunch one day, a gray owl landed by the Gryffindor table, a letter with the headmaster's seal in its beak.

Harry opened it to find a single line: Your suitcase has been modified. Come to my office to collect it.

When Harry climbed the spiral staircase to Dumbledore's office, the headmaster was standing by the modified suitcase.

It looked unchanged from the outside.

"Try opening it," Dumbledore said with a smile.

Harry lifted the lid and froze.

Inside was a spacious stone chamber, its walls embedded with glowing runes. A few training dummies sat in the corner, and unfamiliar runes were etched into the center of the floor—likely for practicing the Fiendfyre Curse.

"This space has multiple protective charms," Dumbledore explained. "You can practice here without any magic leaking out."

Harry closed the suitcase, ready to leave, but couldn't hold back. "Professor Dumbledore, there's something… I need to ask."

Dumbledore turned, his blue eyes knowing. "About Black?"

Clearly, the castle's portraits had relayed Harry and Hermione's conversation.

Harry nodded, his gaze casually scanning the room. "Hagrid said Black was James and Lily's Secret-Keeper. Is that… certain?"

The office fell quiet, save for the soft rustle of Fawkes grooming his feathers.

Dumbledore shook his head slowly, his tone carrying a rare hint of uncertainty. "To be honest, Harry, I don't know."

Harry blinked, caught off guard.

"The Secret-Keeper's identity was meant to be the highest secret," Dumbledore said, gazing out toward the Quidditch pitch. "The situation was chaotic then, and many Phoenix Order plans were kept under wraps. I know Black was initially James's choice for Secret-Keeper. But I wasn't there when the vow was made."

Chapter 103 - Chapter 106: Clues